Country Lore: Stomp Out Cabbage Maggots
(Page 2 of 3)
February/March 2009
By the Mother Earth News editors
Hardened off transplants are then grasped between the thumb and first two fingers and pushed into the soil at about a 45 degree angle, basically as far as it will go. No stem has to show but the rosette of leaves should protrude slightly. Then step on the plant, full weight, rolling your foot’s weight from just before the root, over the buried root and stem, and across the partially protruding leaves. The tough transplants will not break and the leaves will survive. Soil moisture level cannot be bone dry or too soggy to work. Fluffy, moist soil works just fine. Within a couple days the stems will elongate and the leaves grow out and shed the dirt.
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In summary, stand over the row with one foot on the row center and the other 12 inches or so offside. Lean over and push a plug down and towards you at a 45 degree angle in one swift plunge (yes, yes practice, but that’s life - dibbles are a waste of time) so that the leaves stick away from you, then step forward onto the plant compressing the soil. Lean forward and repeat the process. With moderate soil moisture and air temperatures, the plants can wait a couple days for water. This is because stepping on the soil compresses it and restores the soil moisture column and provides good soil-root contact. One planter can do a couple thousand a day without too much stress.
By the by, I use this same basic growing method, but using firm finger compression instread of stepping on them, for beets, lettuce, Swiss chard, first crop green beans, corn, green onions, early dill, plus flowers for my wife (all in clumps) and a few things in single plant plugs of varying sizes. Be sure to provide enough space between clumps in the row to give the required average individual plant spacing.
I have not (casually at least) noticed any difference in crop maturity times. Being consistently first at market draws the customers and brings higher prices (and drives my competitor’s nuts). Larger clumps of 10 to 12 work well for green onions but for most other crops give diminishing returns. If you plant just before a modest rain you will not have to water them in.
How it works: Adult maggot flies lay eggs on the soil surface near the stem. When the larvae hatch out they must crawl down the stem to the root. After the first watering or rain, the footprint with the plant in its center will develop a hard, permanent crust, which will prevent root maggots from crawling down the stem to the root. The barrier stands up well for several weeks until plant growth and wind provide a small crack near the stem. By then, most cole crops are able to tolerate the few maggots that burrow through the still compressed soil below the crust.
